recently joined forces with the Food Bank of The Rockies to help provide needy children with nutritious food during the approximately two-week holiday break from school. Kentwood’s agents collectively donated more than $5,000 to fill tote bags to food-insecure children just prior to the school holidays. The Food Bank of the Rockies and its Totes of Hope Program annually serves approximately 5,000 children from 61 individual sites.

The endeavor for the Food Bank was initiated by the Brokers at Kentwood Real EstateDTC as the firm’s annual holiday giving effort each December. Luisa Staerkel, Managing Broker for Kentwood’s DTC office, helped kick start the donation process with the help of Kentwood assistant Gail Junso. The donations were used to provide tote bags to children in both public and parochial schools supported by the Food Bank throughout the school year. The tote bags were delivered to children the last Friday prior to the holiday break.

“Each Friday during the school year children can pick up a tote bag at their school with food items that will hold them over for the weekend,” said Staerkel. “Unfortunately, when there is a holiday break or a school vacation, the tote bags are not available for the students. When we learned ofthis issue, our agents generously donated money for the Food Bank and needy children. This was a very rewarding endeavor for an outstanding cause and I am very proud of our brokers and the generosity they exemplify throughout the year for the communities that have fueled their success.”

Food Bank of the Rockies (FBR) is the largest private hunger-relief organization in Colorado. Founded in 1978, FBR has provided nearly 571 million pounds of food to its member agencies, which translates to nearly 476 million meals for people in need. FBR uses less than four cents of every dollar for administration, which makes it one of the most efficient charitable organizations in the country. FBR has a pool of more than 12,000 volunteers. The efforts made by Kentwood Real Estate-DTC provided tote bags for children filled with such items as chicken noodle soup, ravioli, spaghetti, assorted fruits and vegetables, and more.

More than one in seven Coloradans struggle with hunger and nearly half are children. For more information on FBR and to make a donation, please visit http://www.foodbankrockies.org. Interested parties may also contact Tom Cryer at 303-773-3399 or via email at Tom@Kentwood.com.

Kentwood Real Estate is dedicated to building on its legacy of being “Colorado’s Premier Real Estate Company” through the highest producing, most knowledgeable, caring and experienced brokers in the country who offer the highest quality customer service experience. Kentwood Real Estate is an innovator known for unparalleled marketing strategies and superior Internet technology that places its clients in the best possible position. The company’s brokers each averaged more than $12 million in sales volume annually, which is ranked number one nationwide by the National Association of Realtors and REAL Trends.